Zoo New England operates the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts as well
as the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.

The Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is the only species of deer in which both
the males and the females have antlers. Each spring reindeer shed
their antlers and a new set begins to grow in the summer. During the
growing phase, the antlers are covered with a furred skin called
"velvet" that carries the blood supply to this rapidly growing
tissue. Once the antlers are fully grown the velvet dies and is shed
from the now hard antlers. The antlers at the forward tips branch
out in a unique manner. They can migrate hundreds of miles between
grazing grounds on the tundra. In the summer they feed on grass and
other tundra plants. In winter reindeer feed mainly on lichens,
scraping away the snow with their hooves to get the plants. Their
coat is dense and waterproof, so they don't feel the cold. The
hooves are broad and enables the reindeer to walk easily in deep
snow. In the fall, the males pursue females in heat. Duels
between males are rare.. After about eight months the females gives
birth to a single calf. Once the calves are born, they can start
following the mother within minutes and can run with the herd within a few
hours of their birth. Their range is: Alaska, Canada, North Europe,
Greenland, Scandinavia to Siberia and Asia.

Yak (Bos grunniens) - West China, Tibetan plateau, North India,
Kashmir. Wild Yak live in mountanous terrain at an altitude of
13,000 to 20,000 feet. They have wooly, dense blackish-brown hair
that sometimes reaches almost to the ground. They are sturdy and
sure-footed and able to handle the tough terrain and harsh, cold
climates. Both the male and female Yak have curved horns which grow
from the sides of their broad and bulky heads. When a group is
threatened, they form a phalanx, facing outward with their horns lowered,
the calves being in the middle of the group.

Zebu (Bos tourus indicus) - Tibet. The Zebu have been domisticated
and raised throughout the world. The Zebu hump is like a camel's
hump which stores fat that can be used when food is scarce.

Black-Necked Crane (Grus nigricollis) - During the summer months,
Black-Necked Crane breed on the plateaus of Tibet, northeastern India and
northwest China. In the winter they are in lower altitudes in
southeast China and northern Vietnam. They do not have webbed feet,
but are good swimmers. Courtship involves elaborate dancing,
leaping, jumping, calling and preening. The Black-Necked Crane is
the only Alpine Crane.

Markhor (Capra falconeri) - These largest of the Caprinae (wild goat) can
be found in middle Asian mountains and forests, Afghanistan and the
Himalayas. Markhor migrate to higher elevations in the spring summer
months returning to lower elevation in the late fall. The male Markhor has
a long beard on the chin and long hair on the throat, chest and
shanks. The females have smaller fringes of long hair. Both
the male and female have horns. The male's spiral shaped horns are
impressive sometimes reaching 5 feet, whereas the females are
smaller. The male is usually solitary. They are sure-footed
and nimble, climbing and jumping over rocky terrain easily. Even
newborns navigate steep slopes with ease.

Markhor live in herds of from 9 to around 100 females with young.
The females usually deliver 1 or 2 kids. The newborn kids can
navigate steep slopes with ease.

Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) - Central Asia from Northwestern China to
Tibet and the Himalayas, Pakistan and Afghanistan in high mountains (up to
20,000 feet ) The Snow Leopard has very dense, thick fur that is pale
gray on the back and white on the underside. A black streak runs
down it's back. There are rosettes on the sides of the body and the
long, solid tail. The rest of the body is spotted with solid circles
on the neck, head and legs. They are capable of leaping large
ravines with their powerful legs. The Snow Leopard's long tail
helps them keep their balance during leaps of 40 feet or more

Snow Leopard has small ears to help reduce the loss of body heat in the
extreme cold weather in the Himalayan's harsh environment. Large
paws act like snow shoes and keep them from sinking into deep snow.
The thickness of the fur insulates them from the cold. They are
certainly built for life in the extreme cold mountains.

Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chileniss) - The Chilean Flamingos are
slightly smaller than the Caribbean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).The
Chilean Flamingo can be found in Central Peru, South America on both
coasts (mainly in winter), Argentina, Urugray, Paraguay, Southern Brazil,
and some in the Falkland Islands. They feed primarily on
invertebrates in the water. Chilean Flamingos have gray legs
with pink bands at the joints.

The female flamingos lay one large egg (3 inches) which is chalky
white. If an egg is lost early in incubation, a second replacement
egg may be laid. This process is called double clutching.
(Thank you to Sea World for some of my info.) The incubation period
is 26 to 31 days. The Flamingo make their nests in a mound of mud
that looks like a small volcano. These mounds help to keep the eggs
above the wet ground. Both female and male take turns sitting on the
egg in this mound. A parent will carefully lift and turn the egg
with its bill. The chick breaks through the shell using a growth on
its bill called an egg tooth. The egg tooth is not a true tooth and
falls off soon after hatching. Newly-hatched chicks have
gray or white down feathers, a straight red bill and plump, swollen red or
pink legs. The leg swelling decrease approx. 48 hours after hatching
and the red bill and leg turn black in seven to ten days. After
hatching a flamingo chick is not very active. The chick will leave
the nest in four to seven days when it is strong enough to stand and
walk. Of course, the parents keep a close watch on them.
Chicks gather in large groups called creches (French for crib).
Parents are able to locate their own chicks in the creche at feeing
time. Chicks lose their juvenile gray or white color and feathers
turn pink gradually over one, two or even three years. The last part
of the skin to turn pink is often the ankle or hock joint.

The Cougar (Felis concolor) (Mountain Lion, panther, Puma) The
cougar can be found throughout the Western Hemisphere. In the desert
areas and Mexico, the Central American areas, such as the tropical
forests, The lowlands to mountainous regions in the United States and in
West Central Canada. The Florida panther, a cougar sub species,
lives in Florida and east of the Mississippi. The Cougar can
leap as high as fifteen feet.

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) - Southern Europe, Middle East,
Africa, West Asia, India. This small vulture has a bare face and
shaggy neck feathering, mostly white with black tail section. When
carcass are not available, they will eat ostrich and flamingo eggs.
It is one of the few species to use a tool. In order to break into
an ostrich egg, the vulture will drop a rock on it to crack it
open.

Southern Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus cafer) - Parts of Africa south of the
equator. The Southern Ground-Hornbill is the largest African
hornbills. They walk and forage on the ground most of the time, living in
groups that patrol and defend their territory, pecking and digging at the
ground. Females lay one to three eggs in a hole in a tree lined with
leaves, but not walled up in the tree. She is free to go, but covers
the eggs with leaves when she is not sitting on the nest.

These Southern Ground-Hornbills have a distinct red throat wattle and
white wing patch seen when in flight.

Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) Upper Nile Valley and Africa
south of the Sahara; introduced in England. Although it is called a
goose, it is really a species of shelduck. Seen on land, it grazes
on grass, leaves and seeds. The female has a trumpet-like quacking,
where the male's is softer.

Bateleur Eagle -

Bateleur (Terthopius ecaudatus) - Africa south of the Sahara, Southwest
Arabia. The Bateleur is also known as snake eagles or snake
hawks. A spectacular bird in flight because of it's long wings
and very short tail, it can soar for hours.

Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) - Europe, east Siberia and south of India
and China. It has distinct ear tufts and a boldly streaked breast
and mottled plumage. They are active in the day as well as at
night.

King Vulture (Sarcorampgus papa) - Mexico to Argentina. They are 31
inches in height. The king vulture is one of the few birds that
relies heavily on its sense of smell in order to detect food. They
have broad wings and a short tail.

King Vultures live in the rain forest and has a colorful bare head.
They are easily recognized by their distinct plumage. The King
Vulture flies low over the treetops and on warm days it finds rising air
currents (thermals)ll and circles to gain height. Stranded fish on
river banks are an important food source.

White-necked Raven (Corvus albicollis) - East and South Africa. This
Raven has a massive bill reinforced by an arched top ridge. They are
very smart and learn quickly. This raven usualy stays in mountains
and crag, flying strongly with the powerful wings, soaring easily on the
updrafts. They can roll and swoop in an aerobatic
performance.

Yellow Headed Amazon or Yellow Crowned (Amazona ochrocephala) - Coastal
regions of Mexico, Central America, South to East Peru, North Bolivia, and
North Brazil, Trinidad, Tobago. The "Amazons" refer tp the
medium-sized parrots with predominantly green plumage and some brilliant
markings. They are amazing mimics and talkers as this one is
demonstrating. During the day groups of parrots feed in the
treetops for seeds, berries, cuts and blossoms. This species uses
its foot to hold food up to its bill. The red wing patches can be
seen in flight.

Red-Legged Seriema (Cariama cristata) - East Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay,
Uruguay, North Argentina in tropical and subtropical grasslands.
They are very fast runners with powerful legs, using this running ability
to escape danger instead of flight. The feather tuft on its forehead
makes this bird look rather silly. The red-legged Seriema from South
America has much in common with the Secretary Bird of Africa. Both
are ground-dwelling birds that live in grasslands.

Red-legged Seriema -

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucoephalus) - North America, Southern United
States and parts of Mexico. the Bald Eagles are fishing
eagles. Their talons enable them to pluck fish out of the water to
carry them to a nearby perch to eat. When the salmon swim upstream
the eagles have a feast. They get other food from a wide range of
sources. The female is larger than the male. The Bald Eagle
has a pure white head and neck with a white tail and rump. The
juvenile eagle will not get their white head and tail feather for two or
three years. Pairs remain together and reestablish bonds each year
with spectacular courtship displays. The eagles lock talons in
mid-air and somersault through the air together in a marvelous
display. Their nests are large made of sticks sometimes
measuring over 8 feet wide. Each year they add to the nest.
The Bald Eagle is our National Symbol of the United States.

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) - Peregrine Falcon are found on every
continent except Antarctic. They like open areas with high cliffs
near water. They are the fastest animals in the world. They
can reach speeds of 200 mph while diving for prey. Because of its
skills it is the most highly prized bird for falconry. They weigh
one to two and a half pounds. The wingspan is from 38 to 46 inches.
The wings are tapered and pointed. Length, 15 to 19 inches.

North American Otter (Lontra canadensis) - United States, Canada and
Alaska. The River Otter moves rapidly and playfully from the
banks of the river, loving to slide down into the water. This
weasel-like mammal is about 46 inches long with a rich brown coat of
fur. They have a rudder-like tail that is more than half the size of
the body of the otter. The Otter will weigh around 21 to 25
pounds. This streamlined character has a heavy growth of sensitive
whiskers on its upper lip and special muscles for closing its nostrils and
its ears when it dives. In the water the otter is insulated against
the cold by the air bubbles trapped in the fur. They have good eye
sight underwater, but their sense of touch helps them, too. The whiskers
on its muzzle are sensitive so that the otter can move and fish in muddy
waters. They will travel over land to visit other ponds and
rivers.

The Otter is very sensitive to only being in clean, unpolluted rivers,
lakes or ponds. The den is called a holt and is either in a hollow
in a banking, under the roots of a tree but always near the river or
lake. The otter cubs can be born any time of the year.
Usually two or three cubs are born in a litter. The otter cubs have
to be pushed into the water by the mother, not taking to the water
willingly. Once in the water they take to it
quickly.

We observed this otter as he turned on his back to eat what he'd found in
the water. They eat fresh water fish, crustaceans, frogs,
invertebrates, reptiles crayfish and small mammals. The
Otters intestine is specially adapted for dealing with fish. Fish
bones cannot damage the intestine because its walls shrink immediately and
form a small obstruction which pushes the bone away. Their webbed feet, oily fur
and tube shaped body is well adapted to swimming.